WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (WTNH) — Direct flights from Bradley International Airport to Dublin have returned after a three-year hiatus.

The first flight between the two airports departed from Bradley International Airport on Sunday night. Flights had been paused between the two since the start of the pandemic.

David Griggs of the Metro Hartford Alliance said the flights would impact both Hartford and the entire state economically.

“In terms of where businesses decide to locate, the ease of transportation — to get there, to get out, is very important,” he said. “So, our ability to bring more foreign direct investment, more companies from Europe, from Ireland, from England, here to the United States — to Hartford, in particular — having that direct flight is vital.”